Mossant, 1938

Three hats tipped in greeting – that image and the brand name suffice to express the warm message of this timeless image by Leonetto Cappiello. Although born in Livorno, Italy, the artist spent most of his adult life in Paris where he became one of the most successful and prolific posterists of all time (he created nearly 1000).

Known as the father of modern advertising, Cappiello became famous for his captivating images that could be understood in a second, and remembered for a lifetime. The key to his work was creating a metaphor for a product that was so memorable that it could be absorbed instantly on a busy boulevard.

He wrote: "Surprise is the foundation of advertising; it is its necessary condition." As a product poster artist he has never been surpassed.